


Rise of the Siren

by FreyReh



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2018-09-25 11:24:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9818207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyReh/pseuds/FreyReh
Summary: Black Siren gets a deal she can’t pass up from Sara Lance to join her team of misfits to travel around time. Black Siren starts to wonder just what she’d gotten herself into and wonders just how long she’ll feel like honoring the deal. She’s no hero, but then again, they claim they aren’t either…





	1. Chapter 1

She felt her cell moving for the first time in what felt like months. She stood from the corner she’d been sitting in and walked to the center of the room just as the cell docked to the main doors. The main doors opened in a flair of flashing lights and she did her best to keep her face stony, despite the person on the other side. Her eyes slowly went over those standing just behind her. A hulking man who she knew could prove a challenge and next to him someone she’d describe as a beanpole with good hair. Slowly, her eyes went to the Flash and they narrowed. Oh, how she’d love to kill him for keeping her here. In the dark. Isolated.

Prisons treated people better.

“If it isn’t the Earth-One version of my sister,” said the Black Siren. The Earth-Two version of Laurel Lance. She calmly walked up to the wall she knew her scream couldn’t shatter, and placed her gloved hands on the surface before grinning. “To what do I owe this visit?”

The last time she’d even talked to her sister she’d been six. After her parents split their mother had taken Laurel away from her father and sister to grow up in Central City.  Her mother had hated her father so much, Laurel had never been allowed to visit him or her sister. Laurel had been told again and again that her father didn’t love her enough to visit. That her sister had forgotten her. Soon, she’d grown to believe it... She’d gotten into fights at school. The first time she was arrested she’d been thirteen and charged with assault. She’d barely managed to finish high school and never went to college. She’d gone to Star City once to visit her father and sister. To see if they really had forgotten her. When she stood outside the house and saw them eating dinner while laughing and joking... Laurel knew, then, that they _had_ forgotten her. That they didn’t miss her one bit.Then she’d heard her sister had died in a boating accident with Oliver Queen. Shortly after that she’d gotten her powers and the anger that she’d kept down inside had been released when Zoom had found her. When she came to Earth-One and found that this version of Laurel had everything she’d ever wanted... She’d wanted to destroy everything. Kill everyone... She wanted everyone to hurt the way _SHE_ hurt.

“Laurel...” said Sara softly, and Laurel smirked at seeing the pain in Sara’s eyes. “It’s really you.”

“It’s not,” warned the Flash. “I told you-”

“Shut up,” said Sara, whipping her head toward the flash, a look in her eyes that had Laurel perking up. A look of a killer. “You’re lucky I don’t do more than just punch you for keeping her here.”

“I could still set him on fire,” said the hulking man, making Laurel look to him, tiling her head in slight curiosity. 

“She’s dangerous,” said Barry. “She-”

“Is coming with us,” said Sara simply, before looking back to Laurel. “That is. If she wants to take the deal.”

“And what deal is that?” asked Laurel, stepping away from the glass. 

“Were do you even go to the bathroom?” asked the other guy. The one with the full head of hair.

“You don’t want to know,” she answered. 

“Man, Ba---I mean, _Flash_ , this doesn’t look very-” started the man.

“Humane?” supplied Laurel. “It isn’t. So tell me the deal.”

Sara held out her hand and Ray handed her a device that Laurel knew very well. It was one of those fucking collars. One that hindered her useless. Immediately she felt her body tense and she glared at those outside her cell. Sara, calmly pressed it to the glass, her blue eyes now full of serious determination.

“Put this on and come with us.”

“I’d rather die than put one of those _fucking_ things around my neck,” she spat, her voice dripping with venom. 

“I like her,” said the hulking man.

“Not now, Mick,” ordered Sara, and surprisingly, the man listened. Sara Lance had authority over these people. Despite hating her sister on Earth-2, Laurel held a sort of respect for this version. Maybe she’d feel bad about killing her.

_Maybe._

“It’s just temporary,” said the other man. “Until we get you to our ship.”

“Ship?” asked Laurel with a tilt of the head. “What sort of ship?”

“A big space ship,” said Mick. “Beats this box. Trust me. Been in enough boxes in my life. It’s a sweet deal.”

“And then what? I come with you, wearing _that_ ,” she said, scowling at the device. “What then?”

“When we get on the ship, and away from here... You’ll get a choice,” said Sara. “But you won’t be a prisoner.”

“Deal,” she said without hesitation.

If all else, Laurel could think of a plan to escape their custody. Anything was better than this place. Sara nodded and soon the collar was being fed into the cell much in the same way her food was. With slightly shaky hands, she fastened it around her, and her eyes closed in annoyance as it hummed. The collar was active. Her scream was useless. Of course, it didn’t mean she didn’t have other means to defend herself. The doors opened and Laurel got a burst of fresh air that filled her lungs. Slowly she walked out of the cell, eyes narrowing at the Flash, before she smirked in slight satisfaction. She was leaving. He hated watching her leave. She made a show of stretching out her limbs, neck cracking before she turned to her sister’s doppelganger. 

“Lead the way, Sis.”

“Don’t call me that,” warned Sara, making Laurel shrug. 

“Whatever you say.”

Black Siren walked in the middle of the group. Entering the main lab she saw the stoic faces of Flash’s friends and she couldn’t help but to laugh. Oh, how they were all hating _this_. Hating seeing her just stroll out of their prison. Just as she did with the Flash, she offered a wave that mocked them all.

“Until next time, Team Flash.”

“There won’t _be_ a next time,” insisted Caitlin. 

“You know, I really liked your Earth-2 counterpart,” said Black Siren. “You’re such wasted potential.” Black Siren watched as the woman rubbed her wrists where bracelets were. She swore she saw a flash of white hit her eyes and she noted that as very, _very_ interesting. “Tah, tah!”

“Stop it,” said Sara. “Before I change my mind and leave you here.”

“Way to ruin my fun,” sighed Laurel. 

“She’s known to do that,” said the man. 

“ _Mick_ ,” warned Sara.

“What, it’s true, isn’t it Haircut?”

“Uh, well... I mean no! No!”

Black Siren couldn’t help but to crack a smile. That smile fell, though, when she saw what was waiting for her outside those doors. The ship had been camouflaged and when it suddenly appeared she stilled in her steps to look at it with wide eyes. THAT was the ship she just agreed to go on?

“Well, you coming or what?” asked Sara over her shoulder, a mirth in her blue eyes. 

“Yeah,” said Laurel, all thoughts of escaping suddenly put aside. Her curiosity had won out on her. “I am.”

.

.

.

“This is where you can stay,” said Sara.

“We had a deal,” said Laurel, fingers on the collar. They’d just entered the temporal zone. After Laurel regained the use of her legs, apparently the numbness a side effect to traveling through time, Sara had decided to show her where she could stay. Her toes were still tingling and she had a slight ringing in her ear. Of course, the ringing could have been from the constant jabbering of the others, who apparently had no idea they’d be bringing her along. The old man had almost earned a clock to his jaw for the way he spoke of her as if she hadn’t been standing right there.

“When we drop out of the temporal zone, I’ll help you out with that.”

Laurel narrowed her eyes at Sara. A part of her screamed to attack her now. The woman was already backing out of the deal. Laurel’s hands clenched and the leather gloves creaked at the movement. Sara straightened her stance, facing off to Laurel, who only sighed and backed down. For now. 

“Can you at least show me where the shower is? Could use some new clothes, too. And food. Anything but Big Belly Burger, though. That’s all I’ve had for months.”

“I’m sorry for that,” said Sara. “That they kept you locked up. Though, to be fair, you _did_ try to kill them. Come on, I’ll show you to the showers.”

“I know some of your story,” said Laurel, following her at a leisurely pace. “That you died and came back. More than once. That you had some fun with your sister’s boyfriend, Oliver, before being trained by the League. How was that by the way? I hear they’re pretty-”

Laurel winced as Sara suddenly pushed her into the wall. Sara had her arm over her throat, just under the collar. It was then, that Laurel felt like she was looking in the mirror. This Sara was a killer. An assassin. Just like her. 

“All you need to know is that if you so much as even think about betraying us. After getting you out of that cell. I wont hesitate to put you in a place where you won’t see or hurt anyone ever again. You understand?”

Laurel nodded, and Sara released her grip. It wasn’t long before they were in the showers. Laurel immediately started to strip, peeling off layers of leather, until fully naked and in the hot spray of water. She moaned slightly, the feel of hot water as close to heaven as she’d probably get. Thankfully, this version of the collar was also waterproof, and didn’t so much a spark by getting wet.

“There’s soap in there. And shampoo. I’ll get you some new clothes.

Laurel just hummed her answer. It wasn’t until twenty minutes later, when she turned off the shower, that she grew annoyed. Waiting for her was a stack of clothes that weren’t hers. At least the jeans and boots were black. She slipped on the skinny jeans and socks easily. The boots were snug, as if new, and didn’t have the large wedge heel she was used to. The bra was the right size, as was the green shirt. Her arms were a bit too bare for her liking, and showed the scars from the night she’d gotten her powers, the powerful blast of glass had shredded her skin. She’d screamed in pain, doing her best to block all the pieces that’d blown into the store she’d been in, just as one last piece pierced her throat. She’d nearly died that day. Instead, she’d been made into a meta.

A God of sorts that could topple buildings and make people wreathe in pain. 

“Now look at you,” she said, running her hands over her bare arms. “At the mercy of heroes. How far you have fallen, Laurel.”

A throat cleared and she turned to face the woman she remembered being called Amaya. Looking her over, Laurel saw a tribal necklace around her neck and despite her size she could feel this woman’s power. 

“Sara said to come show you the replicator room,” said the woman. “If you needed anything else. Toiletries mostly. Don’t get any funny ideas about weapons. We’ve already informed Gideon on what you’re allowed to do here.”

“Gideon?”

“The ship’s artificial intelligence.”

“Hm. I see.” Laurel gestured forward. “Lead the way.”

“I am Amaya, by the way” said the woman, introducing herself, her eyes falling onto Laurel’s arms. Laurel frowned, not hiding her scars whatsoever. Amaya finally looked away before leading her to the room. When there, Laurel replicated a black, leather jacket to pull on over her arms, as well as the toiletries. When shown her room, Amaya left her alone. She brushed her brunette hair, then looked in the mirror. After a while she put on the make-up. The smokey eyes were familiar to her. She left off the lipstick. For now. After slipping on deodorant, with a mental note to remember a razor for her next shower, she walked back out of her room. 

“Now where would a girl go to find a decent meal on this hunk of metal?”

_“Turn left and head down the hall. The fifth door on the right is the galley.”  
_

“Who...” Laurel smirked. “Gideon I presume?”

_“Hello Ms. Lance.”  
_

“Don’t call me that,” snapped Laurel. “If you are to address me. Call me Black Siren. Or Laurel, if you must.”

_“Of course, Laurel. Do you need anything else?”  
_

“Where is everyone now?”

_“The library.”  
_

“No where near the kitchen?”

_“No.”  
_

Laurel smirked.

 _‘Good,’_ she thought.

.

.

.

“Where are all the damn knives?” she asked out loud, slamming another drawer closed. 

_“Captain Lance deemed it fit to remove all the knives from the galley for the time being.”_

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” muttered Laurel. “How the fuck am I supposed to put the cream cheese on my bagel?”

_“I suggest using a spoon.”  
_

“An A.I. with a smart mouth. Great.”

 _“I do not possess a mouth,”_ said Gideon, and Laurel could practically feel the snark coming off the A.I. 

“Don’t take it too hard,” said a deep, rumbly voice that had her looking over her shoulder. “She took the knives away from me one time. Here’s a tip. Never threaten to stab someone for stealing your pop tarts.”

“Noted. Mick, was it?”

“Yeah. Gideon! The usual...” A beer was replicated. “Ah! Yes...” He looked to Laurel. “Want one?”

“Sure,” said Laurel. “Been wanting one for quite some time.”

“Flash didn’t give you some booze during your time out?”

“No,” she said, taking the bottle he offered as Gideon made another. She twisted the cap off the cold beer and took a long swing, the taste of the alcohol welcomed on her tongue. “He didn’t.”

“What a jerk,” he said, reaching into a different drawer and pulling out a spoon. He tossed it to her and she caught it easily. 

“So what’s your story?” asked Laurel, wanting to get to know the others on this ship. When it came time to escape, she could use their weaknesses against them. 

“Hm. Stole stuff. Set stuff on fire. Came here with my partner. Who got himself killed. Decided to stick around for a while. Beats being back in the slammer. Which is where I’d probably be now.”

“So you turned hero?” she asked, spreading the cheese over her bagel. She had an apple, too. As well as a large piece of chocolate.

“I’m no hero,” he said, taking offense to the word. 

“But you stay here.”

He shrugged. “Get all the booze I want. Get to bust some skulls and set things on fire without getting arrested. And I get away with stealing shit. It’s a sweet deal.”

“Hm,” she said, pondering his answer. “Sounds like.”

“So, I hear you can huff and puff and blow some buildings down.”

“You heard correctly.” She pointed up at her collar. “Or I used to be able to. Help a girl out?”

He laughed, a loud bark that she felt in her chest and fingertips, before grabbing his beer and heading to the doorway of the galley. “I like you, Toots, but not that much.”

“Call me Toots again and see what happens,” she warned, eyes narrowing, but he only laughed. 

“You have the same look as Blondie when she’s pissed. Hm, okay then, no to Toots. I’ll think of something else...”

“Or you could call me Black Siren,” she said. 

“Nah. Too long to try and remember.” He snapped his gloved fingers. “Ah. Pipes! As in, you got a nice set of pipes on you.”

“I-” He left before she could argue. “Whatever.” She started eating her bagel when Gideon informed her that the others wished to speak with her in the library. She finished eating, taking her time, before heading toward the library to find out her fate. After her talk with Mick, she decided that maybe it would be okay to pretend to want to be here. For a while. Let them trust her. Let them think she was on their side. Work with them, gain their trust...

And when the right time came along... 

She’d strike.

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

_note: my muse is running low on juice. this has been in my drafts for a while. i decided to just publish it. its a little short, but still... it’s something i guess. next chapter will have more of an ensemble interaction... And more of the Laurel/Mick i promised! ;p_

“I’m just saying we shouldn’t have brought her on board until we all had a proper discussion about it.”

Mick rolled his eyes as he entered the library. The whole team was in there. Apparently discussing the decision to bring the alternate version of Laurel on board. Since he didn’t give two licks about it, he just took a seat and propped his booted feet up on the table while continuing to drink. The Professor and Blondie were squaring off. She had that look. The same one Pipes had when he’d called her ‘ _Toots_ ’ not long ago. She had her hands on her hips and everything. The Professor wasn’t backing down though, despite the Kid trying to run interference. 

“We’re talking now. So let’s hear it Martin,” said Sara and Mick felt that admiration for the new Captain all over again when her voice got as frosty as Len’s used to when on the job. “Tell me your concerns.”

“Look, you miss your sister. I get that. Laurel was a remarkable woman. But _that_ woman is not her, Sara. And I feel because she wears the same face as your deceased sister that your judgement is lacking.”

“You want to talk about a lack in judgement? How about Lily?”

“It is hardly the same!” protested Martin. 

“Isn’t it?” asked Sara, eyebrow perked. “We’re traveling across time to stop time apparitions. And you _created_ one. Kept it from all of us. And it still remains unfixed.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth, silencing him as she continued. “And don’t worry, I don’t plan on fixing it. But when it came to your daughter, Martin, you didn’t think clearly either.”

“Except she _is_ my daughter. That woman is _not_ your sister! Nor is she an apparition! She’s a criminal who should _not_ be trusted.” Catching himself he looked to Mick. “No offense meant to you, Mr. Rory.”

“None taken,” he said, though he knew better. Despite everything, the Professor still didn’t trust him. Mick knew, when it came to him, the doc would never really trust him. Not that he gave a shit. 

* * *

 

“Gray.. Sara...” Jax, the peacemaker, stood between them. “Can we not fight right now? What’s done is done. How about instead of arguing. We make plans on how to deal with our guest?”

“I’m with Jax on that one,” said Nate.

“I vote we keep that collar on until we know her true intentions. What’s to stop her from trying to kill us all once we remove it? It isn’t safe. You must think of the team as a whole, Sara, and not just yourself.”

Sara was about to retort but it was that moment that Laurel walked back in. Everyone straightened and looked awkward. Save for Mick, who was still drinking his almost-gone beer. She looked around the room, her eyes narrowing as they came upon Stein and Sara. 

“Am I interrupting something?” She smirked, cocking out her hip as she jacked a thumb over her shoulder. “I could leave and come back later.”

“No. Stay,” said Sara. “We need to talk.”

“Then let’s talk,” said Laurel, shifting to sit on the surface of the table. She crossed her legs and arms and arched a brow. 

“Some members of the team aren’t comfortable with the idea of taking the collar off.”

“We had a deal,” said Laurel, her voice turning frosty. _Lethal_. Her eyes slowly moved around the room and when they landed on the older man they narrowed as he began to fidget. “What’s the matter, Old Man? Afraid I’ll slit your throat in the middle of the night? If I wanted to kill you... You’d be dead already. I wouldn’t need this collar off to do it.”

“See? This is why we-” started the man.

“Shut up, Gray,” said Jax.

“ _Both_ of you shut up,” said Sara before looking to Laurel. “Look. The collar stays on. If you have a problem with that. We can always turn around and drop you back into Central City.”

Laurel didn’t say a word. She just looked at those who stared at her in distrust before sliding off the table and heading to her room. She was well aware of the whispers behind her. She fought against the urge to hit something. When she got into her borrowed room... She started to plan. 

She would escape.

She would be no one’s prisoner.

.

.

.

“You just can’t help yourself... Can you?”

Stein looked up from his book with a frown as Jax entered his private quarters unannounced. He slowly closed the book, setting it aside before standing from his comfortable, leather chair. 

“What do you mean?”

“The judgement,” said Jax. “You did it with Snart. You do it with Mick... Hell, even Ray... Sometimes me!”

“I don’t-”

“You set this standard that, no matter what people do, if they don’t do what _you_ would do: you judge them. You talk down at them. Hell, even if they **DO** do what you do... You still have a remark.”

“Jefferson-”

“Laurel is going to be here. She’s going to be on this ship. We’re all going to have to deal with it. It’s Sara’s choice. She’s the Captain. Sara assured us if Laurel stepped out of line... She’d be gone. Why can’t you just-”

“Because she’s a _criminal_. A killer! You heard what Barry said. She just about killed our friends in Central City!” Martin sighed. “And yes. So has Mick. So had Leonard. But they showed me, personally, that they were willing to work with us despite their colorful pasts. Until _that_ version of Ms. Lance does the same I will continue to have my suspicions of her. I will continue to _not_ trust her.”

“That’s the thing, Gray. Will you even give her a chance to do just that?”

Jax left Martin with something to think about the rest of the night.

.

.

.

_“I’m sorry, you are not authorized to view that information.”  
_

Laurel huffed out an annoyed breath. No matter what she did... She couldn’t get access to anything. Not even the basic layout of the ship! She spun away from the computer and started to pace. She couldn’t see mission files. Crew files. Basically... The only thing she could do on that damn computer was play a game of solitaire. She brought her hand up to the collar, fiddling with it. She stilled and closed her eyes. Gaining her composure. She just had to do things the old-fashioned way. She exited the library and just started walking. She’d come to random doors she wasn’t allowed to enter and would make mental notes of it. 

Private Quarters.

Engine room.

The shuttle. 

She came to the gym and smiled easily when the door opened to reveal someone inside. This was Ray. He had his hands wrapped and was hitting a punching bag. She watched him and shook her head as he hit the bag again and again.

“Your stance is all wrong.”

He stopped, the bag hitting him and making his shuffle slightly. He pulled strands of his sweaty hair out of his eyes before shaking his head. “I trained with the best teachers Star City had. My stance is fine.”

“Hm, if you say so.” Laurel shrugged a shoulder. “Not that I care if you get your ass kicked or not.”

Ray frowned at that, looking her over like she was some puzzle to figure out, before turning back to the bag. He hit it a few times then gasped as a sharp strike hit him at the knee. He fell to the floor, in slight pain, looking up at the woman who was looking down at him in amusement. And perhaps a little too much glee. She offered a hand and he reluctantly took it. 

“Your left side is vulnerable.”

“Laurel is correct,” said Gideon, always the helpful A.I.

“Then how do you think I should stand?” he asked.

What he didn’t know was, while Laurel showed him a better stance, she was jumping up and down on the inside. The man was showing her trust so easily. He would be easy to exploit when she needed a favor in the future. Laurel felt like if she ever needed to know something about anyone or anything... Ray would be the one to talk to. So, for now, she played along, the facade she had going on for her growing. When he thanked her and walked out of the gym with a wave (and slight limp) she mentally patted herself on the shoulder before looking around at the equipment in the room. 

Might as well train and keep her body in prime condition. There really wasn’t much else to do. At least, then, when it came for her time to escape... She’d be in top shape to do it. So she ran, lifted weights, did resistance training. It wasn’t until a few hours later that someone else even came into the room. It was the kid. Jax. He offered her a friendly enough smile and she shot one back. Perhaps he would be another one she could easily get into her corner. It didn’t take him long to open up about the crew. She found he was basically the mechanic... So of them all he knew the most about the ship. So, while she filed away what he told her, the start of her plan unfolded in her mind. 

What she didn’t know was, up on the bridge, Sara was watching her closely with a frown on her face. She studied the monitor, zooming in on the woman with her sister’s face, pondering what she had planned. 

“What are you up to...”

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

Dis: I don’t own LOT

Summary:  _Black Siren gets a deal she can’t pass up from Sara Lance to join her team of misfits to travel around time. Black Siren starts to wonder just what she’d gotten herself into and wonders just how long she’ll feel like honoring the deal. She’s no hero, but then again, they claim they aren’t either…_

_._

_._

_._

Laurel rolled her eyes at Jefferson’s back. The others were on a mission in the Victorian Era. Looking out the window from the main area, Laurel could see all the plague-infested Europeans in their sick, germ infested hovels. The place was disgusting. She didn’t want to be here any longer than was necessary. Apparently someone wanted to recreate the plague for the Earth-1′s time era. Something that could kill millions. Laurel had gotten many scoffs about her chime in of letting it be the survival the the fittest. When she insisted she’d been joking (she hadn’t) no one had really believed her. Which was fine with her. The one they called Jax had offered to stay behind. His fear came off of him in waves. He didn’t want to get sick. Despite the assurances that they would be immune to the disease, he still hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near it. Sara agreed to let him stay behind saying he could play babysitter. So now she was stuck, watching him pace to and fro, and if weren’t for the fact she didn’t want to be stuck HERE of all places, she’d be doing her best to escape.

“Would you  _stop_?” Laurel twisted away from the window to find a place to sit, crossing her arms and legs in the process. Her eyes narrowed at the nervous teenager. “You’re making my head hurt with that sniveling look on your face.”

“It’s just… They’ve been gone a long time,” he said, ignoring her insult.

“So?”

“So?! I’m worried.”

“They’re big boys and girls. They can handle it,” she said, checking her chipped, black nails, her crossed leg bouncing slightly in boredom. 

“Still…” He started pacing again and she huffed out a breath while leaning back in the uncomfortable chair. “I should go out there and look for them. Make sure they are okay.”

“Then go.”

“And leave you on the ship by yourself? Yeah right!”

“Like I could go anywhere anyway,” said Laurel. “You all locked me out!”

“That’s right,” said Jax, a sneaky smile on his face. “You are. And if something happened to them? You’d be stuck here. Forever.”

“So would you! It’s not like you’d stay here.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going out there now. Without my powers. So if I end up in trouble…” He smirked. “You’d be out of luck.”

Laurel sighed. Maybe it wouldn’t be bad. Live out the rest of her days on this ship. Alone. Away from people. Perhaps go back out to terrorize the locals. But, that would hardly be any fun… Not with how sick they were. And she’d still have this damn collar on!

“Fine,” she said, not happy about it. “Let’s go.”

.

.

.

“Not many people out. What with the plague and all.”

Laurel slowly walked down the cobbled sidewalks. Her all black outfit fit not only the time period, but the atmosphere of the town. The dress was layered, the hem dragging slightly on the ground. Her boots were also black and clicked against the stones with each step. The bodice was tightly cinched, thanks to a blushing Jax, and she had a shawl to cover her shoulders. The finishing touch was the hat. Laurel looked like a first-class citizen. Beside her was Jax. He’d made a fuss about wearing tights, much like Mick had, and had on brown pants, a white shirt, a buttoned vest, and a jacket with coat tails. 

“Which will hopefully make this easier.”

“You know what would make this easier…”

“I’m not taking off that collar.”

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Are we close to the address they were going to?”

“Yeah, it’s just-” He cut himself off, grabbing her elbow and pulling her behind the nearest carriage. The horses snorted at them and Laurel wretched her arm out of his grip. She was about to yell when he brought up his hands and started talking in a whisper. “Chill, Laurel, it’s just we got a situation over there.”

“What?” she asked, huffing a stray piece of hair out of her face. 

“Time pirates. I see their weapons from here. Not good!”

“Ah…” Laurel peeked out from behind, studying the men. “There are only four.”

“Only?”

“Hm… Yes. I’ll be back!”

“What?” Jax tried to stop her but she walked back out onto the sidewalk, skirts swishing as he watched. He held his breath as she got closer to the pirates. He’d heard stories about her fighting skills… And he was about to get a front seat to them. He heard her giggle and say something to the guards. One of them came forward, a predatory grin on his face—which transitioned to one of pain as she bunched up her skirts and promptly kicked him between the legs. Jax watched, impressed, as she disarmed another pirate and knocked him out. He frowned as she shot the other two, jogging up to stop her from killing the third. “Wait! No killing!”

“From what I hear you’ve all been killing,” said Laurel. “So get off that high horse of yours.”

“Only when we  _need_ to. We don’t need to here.”

Laurel looked to think it over for a bit before sighing in annoyance. She then promptly licked out her leg to kick the man she’d gotten between the legs, square in the face, leaving him in the gutter unconscious. 

“Have it your way.”

They turned to look at the dark house the others would undoubtedly be in. 

“Ready?”

.

.

.

“This place is empty. No one is here and this has been a waste of time.”

“No… There’s gotta be a reason for those guys on the street.”

“Well, that reason isn’t here,” said Laurel, walking around the dark and dank living room. She looked out the back window and could make out fire in the distance. She tapped the window, looking over her shoulder to the younger half of Firestorm. “Though maybe it’s there.”

“Let’s go.”

They walked out the back door and went into the woods. Everything was black and Laurel embraced the dark as she easily maneuvered through the woods. While her feet barely made a sound, Jax’s footfalls snapped twigs and russled leaves. She shot him a look of annoyance as they stopped at the perimeter of what looked to be a site burning bodies of the dead. Individuals were wearing masks with the elongated beak. Everyone who was being tossed in the pits were dead, their stench making both Laurel and Jax not want to breath through their noses. 

“See them?”

“No,” said Laurel. “They’re not here, either.”

“Then let’s go. This place is giving me the creeps.”

“We should go ask the men we left on the street. Before they wake up and leave.”

“Good idea.”

They left the burning site and went back to the house. They groaned when seeing that their only answers to where the others could be were gone. Laurel chose that time to search the pockets of the others while Jax tried, once more, to reach them by comms. They were ready to go back into the woods to ask those burning bodies if they’d seen anything when a commotion had them looking down the street. They shared a look before running down just in time to see Mick, a wild look in his eye, punch out the same pirate Laurel had fought. 

“Mick!” Mick twisted around, ready to fight, but stilled when seeing Jax. “Whoa man, calm down, it’s us.”

“Ah, Kid… Good to see you…” Mick then turned to Laurel and smirked. “Pipes.”

“Where are the others?”

“Pirates got them. I got away. Tried to free the others but the Boss told me to come get you instead. The cuffs they slapped on us were state of the art. I only knew how to get out of them because of my time as Chronos.”

“Damn… Well, there’s three of us now. We could-”

“It’s a tough crowd, Jax… Gunna need some more fire power. And I don’t mean my gun… Though it would be useful right now.”

“Then what do you suggest?” asked Jax, whose eyes widened when Mick pointed to his throat then eyed Laurel. “Oh no. No, no, no. I’m not taking that collar off. Sara would kill me!”

“You don’t have to-” said Mick, starting for Laurel, but Jax stepped in front of him. “Out of my way, Junior.”

“Mick! Think about this!” pleaded Jax. 

“If I wanted to kill you Jax, I’d have done it already,” said Laurel, speaking calmly, something that made him uneasy. Who talked so calm like that when talking about murder? “I’m willing to play nice to get out of here… and let’s face it. You need me.”

“I… I… Ah,  _hell_ , when this blows up, I’m not taking the blame,” said Jax, relenting as Mick moved to Laurel to take off the collar. 

“Fine by me,” said Mick, reaching up as Laurel exposed her throat. She watched his face as his fingers slid over her skin before fidgeting with the device. Within the minute it was off and she brought her hand up to her throat as he stepped aside, dropping the collar into his pocket. “We good there, Pipes?”

“Yeah…” A slow, gleeful smile spread across her face. “We’re good.”

“Great, we’re all good, can we go save our friends now?” asked Jax. 

“Under one condition,” said Laurel, crossing her arms, making Mick and Jax share a look. 

“What?” they both asked. 

“This collar  _stays_ off.”

“We can’t promise that,” said Jax, who rushed onward as she glared. “But…  _But_ we can speak for you. I mean… You  _are_ fighting with us.”

“Even though its for your benefit more than ours,” said Mick with a wink. 

“Fine.”

.

.

.

“I can’t believe we’re entrusting our lives to Mr. Rory of all people,” complained Stein, pulling as the cuffs behind his back. “What is he to do anyway? Bring Jefferson and the impostor? That version of Ms. Lance would rather see us dead than help us!”

“Yeah, well, what choice do we have?” asked Nate. “The rest of us are a bit tied up at the moment!”

“Bad joke, man,” said Ray. “Any luck with your powers to break free?”

“No, I tried, these cuffs are blocking them somehow. Sara? Hows the lock-picking going?”

“Harder than expected, even with Mick’s quick tutorial,” said Sara with a wince. She looked to Amaya, who also had a problem with her totem. “Any luck on your end?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“So we’re just sitting ducks,” complained Ray. “I don’t like this.”

They were all quiet as the leader came into the room. He chuckled, watching them all, slowly taking them in while pulling out a cigar. “I must admit I expected more from the team who took down Vandal Savage. Despite one of you getting away it is no matter… We got what we came for. Soon, your friends and families will be dying on the streets. Or, perhaps will be part of the projected twenty percent who will live.”

“Why do you want to kill all those people?” asked Ray. 

“Because… The pay is great,” said the man with a grin, putting the cigar in his mouth just as a blood curdling scream was released downstairs… Everyone’s eyes widened as the house shook. “What the-”

“He  _didn’t_ ,” started Amaya.

“He  _wouldn’t_ ,” said Nate.

“Jefferson would have stopped him,” interjected Stein.

Another scream, this one rocking the house even more. Dust fluttered down from the rafters, pictures fell from the wall, and everyone shifted uneasily as someone slowly made their way up the stairs. The pirate dropped his cigar and brought out his weapon. He was shaking, because the loud bolstering of his companions was no longer audible in the house. It was quiet, save for the person coming up the stairs, the dull thud of their boots against the wooden steps ominous. He reached for Ray, pulling him to his feet and putting the gun to his head just as Laurel kicked in the door. Her head tilted to the side and she brought her hands behind her back as she surveyed the room, eyes falling to the pirate before speaking.

“We have your men beat, if you surrender now, we won’t hurt you,” she said, voice sounding bored. She then smirked. “Resist. Then I’ll hurt you. Which I might find more fun than giving you a chance.”

“I’ll kill him!”

She snorted. “Go ahead.”

“Wait… What?” asked Ray. “No!”

“You think I care about him?  _Any_ of them? They kept me prisoner. Put a collar on my neck like I’m some sort of dog. I’d let you kill them all if it didn’t mean I was stuck here.”

“You bitch,” hissed Sara. 

“ _Ouch_ , Sis,” said Laurel, hand to her chest while her tone turned sickeningly sweet. “That hurt my feelings. I might cry! Isn’t that what your sister was known for? Sweet Laurel, always crying because she deserved better than a cheating man and a whore of a sister.”

“Shut up!” shouted Nate. 

“I knew taking you on the team was a bad idea. You’ll never change!” said Stein.

“Well,  _duh_ , I’m the bad guy…” She then looked to the pirate. “What do you say, Handsome? Take me out of this century and somewhere far from here?”

“What about them?” he asked. 

Laurel shrugged a shoulder. “Kill them. I don’t care.”

“You killed my men!”

“Anyone who points a gun at me gets killed. Besides, bigger cut for you… Am I right or am I right?”

The Pirate slowly started to relax. He smiled at Laurel who smirked back. He tossed Ray down to the floor and aimed his weapon at him. Laurel went to stand at his side. She looked down at the Legends… Her hate for them evident in her gaze. The pirate made his move to kill them but Laurel made her move and in a blink of an eye she had the pirate down on the ground after flipping him onto his back. He was stunned and she grinned down at him, her foot on his wrist so he couldn’t raise his weapon. 

“You… You tricked me.”

“Oldest trick in the book. How could you be so stupid?”

“You fucking-”

“Uh-uh-uh…” said Laurel in a sing-song voice, wagging her finger while increasing the pressure on his wrist. “Watch what you say or I’ll kill you for the fun of it. I wonder how long I could scream before you head exploded.”

At that moment Mick busted in with Jax. 

“It… It was all a ploy?” asked Stein, stunned. 

“Disappointed old man?” asked Laurel. 

“I never doubted you for a second!” insisted Ray, voice only slightly shaky. 

“Whatever,” said Laurel as everyone was freed. She stepped away and let Sara deal with the pirates. They were all cuffed and deposited in the room downstairs before the group headed to the ship. Before entering, though, Sara put a hand on Laurel’s shoulder to stop her. Laurel turned and then stumbled back as a right hook hit her in the jaw. “What the fu-”

“That was for what you said about Laurel,” said Sara, murder in her eyes. 

“You heroes,” said Laurel, bringing her hand up to dab at her bleeding lip. “So sensitive. Little snowflakes that melt at the first insult.”

“What you said was out of line… But… You still saved us.”

“Didn’t really have a choice. I’d have been stuck here.”

“You could have sided with the pirates,” said Sara. 

“That…” Laurel shrugged. “Whatever. What do you want? A hug? I don’t hug.”

“Neither do I,” said Sara, looking away. In the distance she could see the embers of multiple fires in the city, burning those who were infected with the plague. Today had been a good day. They’d saved millions. They’d taken down a group of pirates and sabotaged their ship so that THEY would be the ones stuck in this era with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the cuffs they’d left them in. “Look, Laurel… I still don’t trust you…”

“Surprise, surprise…”

“BUT… Unlike those back in 2016. I’m willing to give you a chance. We’ve all done bad things. Horrible things. Except maybe Ray. Just… Work with us. You’d be surprised how much you have in common with everyone here.”

“But I don’t want to be a hero.”

“Neither do we.” Sara headed to the ship. “You come back on this boat… I’ll treat you like an equal. We all will. We aren’t heroes, Laurel. We’ve lied, cheated, and killed—but we also like to make sure the world keeps spinning.” 

“And the collar?”

“It stays off.”

Laurel nodded then followed behind Sara. 

“It’s a deal…” Laurel hummed. “For now.”

“That’s all I ask for.”

 

**END**


End file.
